Inflation increases in Oct

The inflation rate in Bangladesh in October this year registered a slight 5.57 per cent rise, up from the previous month’s (September) 5.53 per cent. The country’s inflation rate rise last month was fueled by the uptrend in food inflation.

"The general point-to-point inflation rate increased slightly to 5.57 percentage point in October," said Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Thursday while releasing the monthly consumer price index (CPI).

The general inflation rate that is the percentage change in the CPI during the last 12 months was 5.53pc in September, 5.37 pc in August, 5.40 pc in July, 5.45 pc in May, 5.61 pc in April, 5.65 pc in March and 5.62 pc in February.

According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the food inflation increased to 5.56 percentage point in October from 5.10 pc in September.

The planning minister said the inflation rate in the previous month increased a bit due to the slight rise in food inflation mainly in rice, vegetables, salt, oil, sugar, and milk. He, however, said the food inflation in October last year was a bit higher as it was 6.19 pc.

According to the BBS, the average general inflation rate in the last fiscal year was 5.92 pc, which was 6.41 pc in fiscal year 2014-15, 7.35 pc in 2013-14, 6.78 pc in 2012-13.

The BBS data showed that the point to point non-food inflation rate, however, slightly declined to 5.58 pc in October 2016 down from 6.19 pc in September, 2016, according to a news agency.